Just another News Press

NDA Presidential candidate Kovind meets former PM Vajpayee

“As the party has chose to support Kovind, there is no need for it to attend the meeting of opposition parties being held in New delhi”, said JD-U spokesperson Rajiv Ranjan.The sources said the BJP’s decision to nominate the 71- year-old without consulting the Opposition has not “surprised” them. Kovind, who is the Bihar Governor, was in town as guest of Himachal Pradesh Governor Acharya Devvrat between May 28 to 30 along with his wife and children.The election of the lawyer-turned politician as the 14th president in any case is a virtual certainty because of assurance of support by some non-NDA regional parties.He said the Sena was not opposed to the candidacy of Kovind whom he dubbed a “good choice”.Though he had expressed happiness that a Bihar governor was the NDA’s candidate for the presidential election, he had said that a detailed discussion would be held on the matter within the party.The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had announced Kovind’s name as its Presidential candidate on Monday.Chief Minister E Palanisamy had on Wednesday announced the faction’s support to Kovind, who has since resigned as Governor of Bihar. These words have been quoted by NDA candidate for President of India, Mr. Ram Nath Kovind to his nephew, which aptly can sum him as a man in question.Other parties represented at the meeting included JD-S, RSP, JMM, Kerala Congress, IUML and the AIUDF of Assam.The BJP-led NDA has a total of 52 MPs.The president is elected by members of an Electoral College made up of members of Parliament and state legislatures.With the opposition yet to name its candidate, former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar met Sonia Gandhi at her residence yesterday evening, fuelling speculation over her emerging as the front runner. With the selection of Kovind as India’s top constitutional head, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah have played a political masterstroke on opposition parties in more than just ensuring entry into Raisina Hills.Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, whose father Mulayam Singh Yadav is toeing a different line, said that his party would go with the opposition led by Congress.